Russia captured some Ukrainian soldiers during the withdrawal of Kyiv forces from the key town of Avdiivka, according to the Ukrainian commander of the southern forces.
Ukraine announced its withdrawal from the town, northwest of the city of Donetsk, on Friday (16), following some of the heaviest fighting of Russia's war in Ukraine.
The withdrawal comes after Moscow intensified its attacks on the area in recent weeks, bombarding it with airstrikes and artillery and sending wave after wave of ground attacks with armored vehicles and soldiers.
The withdrawal was “the only correct solution,” the Ukrainian commander of southern forces, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, said in a Telegram post on Friday, adding that some Ukrainian soldiers were captured in the process.
“In a situation where the enemy advances on the corpses of its own soldiers with a ten-to-one hull advantage, under constant bombardment, this is the only correct solution,” he said. Russian troops are “numerically superior in terms of personnel, artillery and aviation,” Tarnavskyi added.
Moscow's forces carried out 20 airstrikes and more than 150 artillery strikes in the area in the past 24 hours, he said, adding that the Russians were “practically erasing the city from the face of the Earth.”
The decision comes just days after Ukraine's new military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov visited the front lines in Avdiivka, with the military chief promising to send reinforcements to “prevent the enemy from advancing deeper in our territory.”
However, until Thursday (15), the Ukrainian forces fighting to hold the city described “hellish” conditions and the enemy “coming from all sides”.
Syrskyi said in a Facebook post on Friday that he ordered the withdrawal “to avoid encirclement and preserve the life and health of the military,” moving troops to defend “more favorable lines.”
He said Ukrainian soldiers had done “everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units and inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of personnel and equipment” in the area.
Ukraine is “taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain positions,” he said, adding that “the lives of military personnel are of supreme value.”
Russia also suffered immense losses in its offensive at Avdiivka, but Moscow appears to have calculated that, given its numerical advantage, they were worth it.
Located a few kilometers north of Donetsk airport, Avdiivka was captured by Russian forces in early 2015 after months of periodically intense fighting. It has been firmly on Moscow's radar ever since.
His capture would have added value to Moscow, with Russia's presidential election just weeks away.
Source: CNN Brasil
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